


After Being Caught At Gabby's - Robert and Liv (14th March 2017) (canon compliant)

by BoleynC



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: I love this messed up little family let me tell you, Robert being a dad, and liv being her wonderful self
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-16
Updated: 2017-03-16
Packaged: 2018-10-05 21:24:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10317278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoleynC/pseuds/BoleynC
Summary: The conversation I imagined happened when Robert and Liv got home after Rob caught Liv at Gabby's.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I love seeing Robert being a dad and also the relationship between him and Liv. It's actually one of my favourite parts of the show and this whole prison storyline. I always wish their scenes were longer so I decided to write the conversation I think they would have had once Liv had been dragged back to the pub in disgrace. 
> 
> I wrote this after the episode so if stuff that happens later in the show contradicts any of this then that's why!

“Someone’s in trouble,” Victoria remarked cheerfully, as she carried a couple of plates past her brother and his tiny new sister-in law, who had just burst through the pub doors, Liv with her eyes on the ground, and Robert shaking his head disbelievingly as he carried Liv’s stuff, looking the picture of parental disapproval.

“Anyone out the back?” Robert asked Victoria wearily. 

“Nope, you're all clear," Victoria said. 

“Right,” Robert sighed, placing a hand on Liv’s shoulder as they walked around the bar. He wasn’t entirely sure she wouldn’t try and bolt for the ladies as soon as the opportunity arose. Liv was sly and nimble like that, after a life of pretty much fending for herself. Turn your back on her for one second and she’d be gone. If Robert didn’t know better he’d say she had an invisibility cloak or something. 

But Liv didn’t try to duck out of trouble this time. Her thoughts were mostly back at Laurel’s house, with Gabby. She wished she could have stayed a bit longer just to check her best mate was all right. 

She didn’t dare turn to look at Robert either, who she knew would be looking tired and out of his depth. Vic had already told her Robert didn’t need the extra stress piled on, and now she’d gone and done this. Guilt didn’t even begin to cover it.

She was a rubbish best friend _and_ a rubbish sister-in-law, apparently. Even though she’d been trying her best to be good at both of those things. 

Only when they’d reached the back room of the Woolpack and Robert had closed the door safely behind them did Liv open her mouth to speak. 

“Look, I can explain-“ 

“You’d better,” Robert fired back, placing Liv’s things down on the sofa and putting his hands on his hips, his usual battle stance. 

“It wasn’t my idea. I swear,” Liv said. 

Robert scoffed. 

“I mean it,” Liv insisted. “I was gonna go in today. Well… maybe. But Gabby wanted to meet up with those lads and I couldn’t leave her on her own-“ 

“So, what? You thought you’d just sack off school for the day because some boys snapped their fingers?” 

“No!” Liv exclaimed, offended. “I wanted to go to town with Gabby. You know I’m not like that. They’re a right pair of gits. _So_ not interested.” 

“Then what the hell was that lad doing there with yer?” Robert demanded. 

“He’s Josh’s mate,” Liv explained, slumping down on the sofa. “Josh was the one upstairs with Gabby.” 

“Nice,” Robert said sarcastically. 

“They’re just lads from school. Mates. Sort of. To be honest, I was pretty glad when you turned up…” 

That was an understatement. Liv had been toying with the idea in her mind from the moment Gabby had disappeared upstairs with Josh. Loyalty had prevented her from sending the text to Robert, not wanting Gabby to think she’d been betrayed, but deep down all Liv had wanted was for someone to swoop in and rescue her best friend from what was a massive mistake. With Aaron away in prison, Robert was the first person who had come to mind. He was good at sweeping in dramatically and sorting things out. 

“He never touched you?” Robert confirmed, looking critically at her, as if he was trying to read her mind. “Because if he did then-“ 

“Er, no way,” Liv said, making a face of such dramatic disgust that Robert couldn’t help but believe her. “I’d have lamped him if he tried. Wouldn’t touch either of them with a ten foot pole.” 

Robert was thankfully reassured by Liv’s responses so far. At least he wouldn’t have to add a sexually active underage Liv to the list of problems he needed to report to Aaron (if he ever found the courage to tell his husband the truth, that was). It was also a relief not to have to give Liv the whole birds and the bees talk. They were close now, a proper family, but trying to explain Liv’s own urges to her was bound to end in a tantrum, and Robert wouldn’t exactly have blamed her. When he was fifteen he was already full of hormones and desperate to get up to no good, but if someone had given him the talk back then it would have horrified him. 

Still, even if Liv hadn’t been messing about with either of those lads from school, this was a bit of a wake up call for Robert. Liv was an odd one, being so grown up and such a kid at once. It hadn’t struck him that she’d be chasing after boys for a good while yet. 

Since Aaron wasn’t around was he supposed to keep an eye on that? Did he need to buy condoms? Or would Aaron be horrified at the idea Robert had bought protection for his kid sister? That was something to think about later, Robert mused, as unpleasant as the whole thing was. 

“Well, good,” Robert said, his voice slightly lower than usual with embarrassment. “Because you’re far too young for any of… that.” 

Liv rolled her eyes at him. Why did Aaron and Robert think she was so green? She’d seen more than most kids her age had already. Just because she was smart enough to watch at a distance didn’t mean she didn’t know how the world worked. 

“Have no fear,” she declared. “Got other things on my mind, haven’t I?” 

Robert considered that and finally moved to sit on the chair opposite Liv. It didn’t feel right, talking down to her. No matter how off the rails she was, Robert had to admit that Liv was far more mature than he’d ever been at fifteen. She had her head screwed on the right way, did Liv. Even if she made mistakes, it was undeniable that she was sharp. Never missed a trick, that kid. 

“And the alcohol?” Robert asked, suddenly remembering. “Was he trying to get you drunk?” 

“No!” Liv said, looking offended by the idea. “And I didn’t even have any. I wanted to make sure I was alert, you know?” 

“Well, that’s something,” Robert conceded. “Because we both know you and alcohol don’t mix.” 

“Think that’s Gabby you’re talking about,” Liv countered smartly. “I can hold my booze.” 

She’d hoped it would make him laugh, but instead Robert looked troubled. 

“Look, I’m sorry, okay?” she said sheepishly. “But like I said, it wasn’t my idea. I didn’t even know the lads were gonna show up. I was there for Gabby. End of.” 

“Only that’s not the end of it, is it?” Robert pointed out wearily. “I’ve rung your school and you’ve not been in for weeks. I got a letter this morning. How’d you think that looks?” 

“Not good?” Liv suggested. 

“It looks like I’m incapable of caring for yer!” Robert exclaimed with a sigh. “I’m obviously not doing my job right because here I am, thinking you’ve been going off to school every day like a normal kid, washing your uniform, sorting your kit, when really you’ve been god knows where-“ 

“Only to town, usually,” Liv admitted, as though that made it better somehow. “And with Gabby. Most of the time.” 

“I saw you get on the bus this morning!” 

Liv grimaced guiltily. 

“Yeah, about that, I kind of decided not to get on at the last minute.” 

“You’re fifteen, Liv! You don’t get to _decide_ not to go in to school. It’s the law!” 

“Yeah, well, I couldn’t leave Gabby today. She needed me,” Liv said, like it was simple.

Robert couldn’t help but detect the hint of pride Liv clearly felt at saying those last three words. Like Aaron she got a kick out of self-sacrifice. A proper pair of martyrs, they were. What was he ever gonna do with them? 

“She needed to be _in school,_ ” Robert corrected her sternly. “So come on then, what was the big drama?” 

Liv narrowed her eyes, hurt by Robert’s callousness.

“Her dad’s got dementia!”

“Not to sound totally heartless,” Robert said (sounding heartless). “But he’s had dementia for a while. It’s not exactly news.” 

Liv leaned forward confidentially, clearly about to impart a great secret. She scratched at the side of her face, deciding how best to word her confession. Robert frowned at her, waiting.

“He’s got a girlfriend now, hasn’t he?” Liv said in hushed tones. 

“A wife, you mean.” 

“No, not Laurel,” Liv said, waving the idea away. “At the home. There’s this woman there. Maggie or something. Gabby went to see him yesterday and he was with her. They were acting proper loved up as well. Ashley thinks they’re together, like a proper couple. He even thought Maggie was Gabby’s mum.”

Now that was news. Robert couldn’t help but raise an interested eyebrow.

“Does Laurel know about this?” 

Liv nodded. 

“She told Gabby it was okay, but Gabby’s dead upset over it. She was texting me all last night.” 

Robert decided that on this occasion he wouldn’t tell Liv off for being on her phone all night. It was pointless trying to stop Gabby and Liv from communicating when they wanted to. The ‘womance’ was truly a force of nature. 

“Thing is, she’s messed up,” Liv continued seriously. “I know what that feels like. And she needs a mate.” 

“The looking after your friend thing, I get,” Robert said, shaking his head. “But what I don’t get is why you can’t be Gabby’s mate _at school._ ” 

Liv leaned back against the sofa, as though Robert couldn’t possibly understand. 

“School’s dead boring at the moment,” Liv said with a shrug, choosing not to mention the names she was being called and the messages she was receiving from anonymous classmates. It was no good, she thought, putting more stress on Robert. He was at breaking point as it was, and that was partly her fault. 

“Yeah, and it’s also the law,” Robert said, raising his eyebrows. 

“Don’t start-“ Liv grumbled. 

Robert wished Aaron was there so he could give him the look that meant ‘ _can you believe the cheek of her?_ ’. Instead he had to settle for putting his hands out in a gesture of utter disbelief and shaking his head. 

“Don’t start? Liv, they’ve fined us sixty quid!”

“Look, I’m sorry, okay? I’ll pay you back.” 

“The money’s not the point!” Robert exclaimed, leaning against the back of his chair and rubbing his forehead wearily. He could feel another headache coming on and they were all out of paracetamol. He kept meaning to go to town for more, but things kept getting in the way. 

“I’m supposed to be looking after you while Aaron’s away,” Robert said tiredly, closing his eyes for a moment. 

“Yeah, and you are,” Liv said, shifting awkwardly on the sofa. 

“How am I gonna look him in the eye when I see him knowing that you've been skiving off and meeting up with boys?” 

“I was meeting up _with Gabby_ ,” Liv emphasised firmly. “I’ve already told ya. It’s not my fault those lads came along. It was all her idea.” 

“Bright one, your mate,” Robert said sarcastically, wanting to lash out at someone but not having the heart to make that person Liv. “Skiving off school so she can get up to no good with the local waste of space.” 

“I told her not to,” Liv muttered. 

“She’s fifteen!” 

“Yeah, I know that,” Liv agreed, surprisingly not jumping to Gabby’s defence. “And it’s way too soon. You don’t need to tell me. I’m not an idiot.” 

Liv expected Robert to raise his eyebrows or make some sarcastic comment at that, but he didn’t contradict her. Maybe he hadn’t thought she was an idiot in the first place. 

“I’m just glad it wasn’t you up there,” Robert remarked, shaking his head again. “You’ve got some sense, then, thank god.” 

“Gabby’s not a bad person,” Liv said firmly, looking Robert dead in the eyes. “She was trying to be cool. Otherwise they say you’re frigid or a minger or something.” 

“Has anyone said that about you?” Robert asked, sitting up with concern. He knew _exactly_ what teenagers could be like, especially teenage boys. He’d been one himself, after all, and to his shame, he’d not been the most respectful of young lads. 

“I don’t care,” Liv said with a shrug. “They can say what they like. Not interested in any of those gross lads anyway. But… Gabby does care. A lot. You know, about what people say about her, about what they think. So she went along with it. I should have done something. I should have lamped him.” 

Robert wanted to laugh at that. Liv was a proper little tough nut, just like her brother. Neither of them were particularly tall, but what they lacked in stature, they more than made up for in ferocity. He had to fight the smirk from his face before he replied. 

“Er, I’m not having you getting into fights,” he said sternly. 

“What if she gets pregnant?” Liv asked, eyes wide again. 

Robert shrugged, like it wasn’t his problem. Because honestly, it wasn’t. Gabby was Bernice and Laurel’s issue. All he cared about was Liv. So long as she was all right, nothing much else mattered. 

“What if she gets pregnant and it’s all my fault?” Liv repeated, rubbing at her eyes. 

Frowning, Robert let out a sigh and allowed himself to slip out of strict-mode for a moment.

“How is it your fault?” he asked Liv gently. 

“Because she’s my best friend,” Liv answered, balling her hands into fists in an attempt to fight back her emotions. “Gabby’s… the only real friend I’ve ever had. She’s special. I’m supposed to be there for her. To stop stuff like this from happening.” 

“Eh, eh, don’t be like that. She made her own decision,” Robert said, in what he hoped was a comforting voice. 

“And now they’re gonna call her easy at school.” 

“Well she did jump into bed with him…” Robert commented without thinking. 

Liv shot Robert such a fierce and Aaron-esque glare that he stopped in his tracks. 

“It’s always the girl’s fault, innit? Typical.” 

“Liv-“ 

“No, it’s all right for you. Teenage boys get let off the hook. But Gabby does one thing wrong and now everyone’ll be on at her. Nobody’ll call Josh a skank. Even though he is one. He’s disgusting. I _hate_ him.” 

“Well, maybe now Laurel knows what’s happened she can put a stop to it?” Robert suggested.

“I should’ve stopped this. What sort of a best mate does that make me? I just sat there and let it happen.” 

“Gabby’s not exactly a wallflower,” Robert commented, with a small smile. “At least not according to Bernice. You’re hardly to blame for her mistakes. It sounds like you did your best. Right?” 

Liv gave a sniff and nodded her head. 

“And that lad I caught downstairs definitely wasn’t pushing pressure on you to do the same?” Robert asked. 

“As if he’d stand a chance,” Liv scoffed. “I’d rather shoot myself than have sex with him. Sorry,” she added quickly, seeing the wince that crossed Robert’s face at the mention of being shot. 

“Well, good,” Robert said, forcing away the momentary sensation of nausea that came with that unpleasant memory. “Cause that would make me _the worst_ temporary parental figure ever. I’ve already failed to notice you’ve been bunking off school.” 

“Yeah, well, sorry. Again.” 

Robert waved the apology away. 

“You have to go in tomorrow," he said seriously. 

“I know.” 

“Even if that means leaving Gabby to ruin her own life.” 

“Robert-“ Liv started to argue, but Robert cut her off. 

“I mean it, Liv. I have to look after you. You need your grades. Knuckle down. Work hard. Give yourself the best start in life.” 

Liv mulled that over, chewing on her lip. Robert watched the mannerism, trying not to think too much about the man who shared that exact same habit when he was worried about something.

“I will pay back the sixty pounds,” Liv said. 

“Look, I can cover that-” Robert cut in with a sigh. “The money isn’t the problem. Although it’s an inconvenience, I can tell you that.” 

Liv grinned sheepishly. If Robert was being tight and moaning about money again then she knew she had to be in slightly less trouble than she was before. 

Robert shook his head and smiled back, against his own better judgement. It was impossible to stay angry with Liv for long. She was a good kid at heart, and her good intentions shone out of her, even when she’d done wrong. Robert privately thought himself lucky that Aaron’s sister had turned out to be a person like Liv. Yes, she was feral, and yes, looking after her was a nightmare, but she was the sort of kid you could really grow to care about. Love, even. The whole spiky and vulnerable combination was something Robert was especially good at dealing with. 

“Am I grounded?” Liv asked tentatively.

“No.” 

Liv’s eyebrows raised with surprise. 

“The reason I’m not grounding you,” Robert explained. “Is that I’ll be watching you like a hawk. And I’ll have Vic on it, and Diane, and Adam.” 

“Fair enough,” Liv muttered, accepting her punishment. She did deserve it, she supposed. And Robert being the strict disciplinarian that he was, she was pretty lucky not to be in deeper trouble.

“If you’d actually tell me what’s going on in your head I could help you,” Robert pointed out.

“Right.” 

“Liv, I’m serious,” Robert insisted. “I’m not here to give you pointless rules to follow. (And honestly, I’ve got better things to be doing with my time than keeping tabs on you for no reason). I’m here to try and help you. To be a brother. Sort of.” 

“Yeah, well, you’re doing okay,” Liv admitted, nodding. “More than okay, actually.” 

Robert couldn’t help but smile tiredly at that. 

“So tomorrow, you’re going in to school? One hundred percent. Promise me.” 

“I promise,” Liv agreed with a sigh. 

“We’ll get breakfast at the cafe, then I’m walking you to the bus stop to make sure you get on. No arguments.” 

“Fine. Whatever.” 

“I’m seeing Aaron tomorrow, so try to keep out of trouble for a day, eh?” Robert said. 

Liv grimaced. It wasn’t _her_ that ever started the trouble at school. It was those idiots who kept calling her names and talking about Aaron. Still, she didn’t want Robert to know that. She could handle it. 

“Are we done?” Liv asked, getting to her feet. 

“Yes. For now,” Robert conceded. 

“Does me being not-grounded mean I have to stay in my room?” 

“Unless you fancy helping me work on this appeal. Lots of paperwork," Robert added with a twinkle in his eye. "I'm sure there's some filing for you to get busy with." 

“Nah, you’re all right,” Liv said with a smile. 

"I'll bring you a sarnie up in a bit, okay?" Robert said, serious once again as he seemed to remember his parental duties. "Go on. I know you’re dying to text Gabby. And no, I'm not taking your phone off yer this time. I value my life too much for that.” 

Liv smiled gratefully at Robert. He wasn’t Aaron, but he was the next best thing. And actually, all things considered, he was a pretty ace person to be living with. Not that she’d ever tell him that, of course. Some things were better kept to yourself. 

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment if you enjoyed! Comments make me so happy! 
> 
> Say hi on twitter if you like! I'm @ClaudiaBoleyn xxx


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